Green plastics received cautiously
Bioplastics, plastics made from corn, sugar cane, potatoes and other plants, are an alternative to conventional petroleum-based plastics, but environmentalists are cautious in their support, according to a recent AP article by Mark Jewell. The manufacturing process of bioplastics produces carbon dioxide and their source materials require water and land to grow. Bioplastics are also about three times more expensive than conventional plastics. Bioplastics' benefits include being biodegradable, lacking toxins like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and reducing the whopping amount of petroleum that currently goes into manufacturing traditional plastics.
As complex as this issue is, consumers are not really digging into the details, according to the article. However, companies are trying to use bioplastics to appeal to the environmentally-conscious consumer. For example, Target and Sam's Club are offering gift cards made from bioplastics this year. Metabolix, a bioplastics manufacturer, is counting on the consumer "that is willing to pay to basically feel better about using plastics."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Oct 28th 2007 @ 11:02PM
Andy said...
At $90 oil, I think that bioplastics are a great idea. Why not use oilseeds like canola, flax or soybeans (even fixes N to reduce the need for synthetic N)? And the water argument...it isn't lost, its just transpired back into the atmosphere? Doesn't anyone know their hydrologic cycles?